I'm volunteering at a day camp. Was assigned to help a child who has Asperger's?

Question

I'm 15; I'm earning volunteer hours at a local day camp. The kids attending divide into small classes, for 4 periods a day. In one period, I've been assigned to pay special attention to an 11-year-old boy with Asperger's, and at the end of the day, to wait with him in the gym until his parents arrive to pick him up.

I have virtually no direct experience with Asperger's or autism. He was at the day camp last year but I wasn't the one assigned to him. I've researched the characteristics of Asperger's, but any advice from someone with direct experience would be appreciated.

He loves patterns and routines, therefore if something is a little out of place or goes wrong (he gets a question wrong on a worksheet, or his parents are a little late to pick him up) he throws a tantrum or has a panic attack. However, he's a very smart boy and isn't as socially reclusive as most Aspie's are.

(continued, hold on)

Answer 1

kacker is right...

My 9 year old has Asperger's and he is very rigid in his thought process & time is key with him. Being 5 minutes late causes frustration & worry with him.  I'm fortunate enough that his after school care personnel understands this and have learned to play on his "obsessions" (his is the movie Cars) and offer him something he really likes to play with so he's distracted.

My child actually likes to be hugged but he has to be really good friends with you to allow it.  The thing that I've learned from being around other Aspie kids is that each one is different and all are affected by their autism to varying degrees.

Mine is very social (a little shy at first) but is awkward about it.  He can carry on a conversation with an adult all day long but struggles with his own peer group.  If I were you I'd spend a little bit of time talking to him and see what he likes & dislikes.  Patience & understanding will go a long way.  Play on an obsession (or speak with his parents to find out what he likes/dislikes).

Good luck.

Answer 2

Hi, I'm assuming that you know that Asperger's is a low form of autism, but yes, they still have very anal retentive qualities and fixate on things that they know about and like.  The biggest thing to do is have PATIENCE, though I'm sure you already figured out that one.  Keep him occupied; if you are distracting him and keeping him entertained enough, he will react less when something out of the ordinary happens. You really have to wait and see what his interests are and play off of that. If he likes cars for example, always have a toy car in your pocket and if he begins to get agitated, take him OUT of the situation or room and let him play with the car and forget about what was happening.

If your too late and he starts to panic, the only thing you can do is try to comfort him with words or objects and again try to get him to forget about what's wrong.  If he is like most people suffering from Asperger's, he's not going to appreciate a hug or physical contact, it normally will make it worse. However, if he is causing too much of a scene for the other campers, you need to take him out of the room, even if you have to pick him up. Also, if he gives a reason as to why he's upset, do everything in your power to give him what he wants in reason.

Keep in mind that you're not going to win every battle and you're going to have good days and bad days. Embrace them both and truly care about this boy, it will make things easier and you will learn a lot from this experience

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Hi  I have an 11 year old son with aspergers. He finds comfort in routine. If his parents are late to pick him up the routine is broken IE the the "FIT" One of the best tools I use for my son was to break down a transition. This boy knows gyms over mom picks me up, to him that's set in stone. Try and set up a special thing activity for the both of you to do while he waits. "Lets see how many pine cones we can collect before your mom get here" Aspergers love to collect things so it could be rocks, bottle caps anything really. Once you start him on this he will look forward to this part of his day and should be mom show up early let him know tomorrow we will find even more.

This sounds simple but it will work. Playing tic-tac-toe  drawn in the sand can help too. You just need to distract his brain from getting in what they call a stuck thought.

If you know of a change in a schedule coming up for warn several times this will avoid any melt downs.

Good Luck -

Answer 4

First, thanks for taking on this child.  It's people like you who benefit our kids in the long run.  

Since you are a bit older, I'm sure the boy will get along fine with you - aspies have trouble with peers - kids they spend most of their time with.  It's mainly because they are on a different level thinking-wise.

Take interest in what he is interested in.  This will help if he has a fit. Then again - he may or may not get po'd if his schedule is off.  (I find that my daughter acts totally different then what I deal with at home then she does at school or camp. she's more dramatic in front of us)

When you talk to him - just talk to him - not like he's a baby or can't understand you - just be yourself.  

You'll do great - you did your research now get to know the boy!

Answer 5

I didn't have someone with that, but I di have some one who threw tantrums! Just try to calm them down and give them a hug! Try to make them feal welcome and try to make a routine with him! Hope that helps!

Answer 6

First off, it's nice to see you doing some research in order to be able to help him as much as you can.

In order to keep him calm, find out what he's interested in and get him to talk about it. Aspies love thinking about and talking about their interests and many could go on and on about them for hours. Chances are he'll be so happy that you want to hear it or talk about it that he'll forget the time and not notice if his parents are late.

Could you ask his parents or a teacher or someone how to react if he has a panic attack or throws a tantrum? They probably know how it's best to deal with it, so ask someone who is used to dealing with it, if you can.

When you want to encourage him or congratulate him on his accomplishments, do it verbally in a clear, literal way (no metaphores or non-literal ways to say it).

Good luck!